Saturday, August 11, 2012

Plan aims to tackle heart disease

Bearing in mind the current debate about health facilities in Llan, local people may be interested in the following announcement by the Welsh Government:

Health Minister Lesley Griffiths has launched a major new plan, which will focus on prevention, earlier diagnosis and treatment to reduce incidence of cardiac disease in Wales.

‘Together for health – a Cardiac Delivery Plan’ outlines how services will be improved across Wales.
Circulatory disease is the largest cause of deaths in Wales, accounting for more than 10,000 deaths every year. Of these, 4,700 are from coronary heart disease.
Reducing the incidence of cardiac disease is a key commitment in the Welsh Government’s Programme for Government and its five-year plan for the NHS, ‘Together for Health’.
Together for health – a Cardiac Delivery Plan aims to:

Prevent cardiac disease through educating people about the importance of healthy lifestyles and to manage existing conditions with medication;

Detect disease sooner through identify those at risk of avoidable cardiac disease, manage that risk effectively and detect cardiac disease where it occurs;

Provide on-going support to help patients manage the impact of cardiac disease.

Ms Griffiths, who is Assembly Member fr Wrexham, said:

“There have been significant improvements to cardiac care in Wales in recent years. While fewer people die prematurely from heart attacks in Wales now, it still remains one of Wales’ biggest killers.
“We must do more to prevent avoidable cardiac disease, identify those at risk and manage that risk well. Where cardiac disease does occur, we want to focus on prompt diagnosis and the best treatment.
“This new plan outlines how we as Government, the NHS, and individuals themselves have a role to play in reducing cardiac disease.”

Cardiologist and Medical Director of NHS Wales, Dr Chris Jones, said:

“Coronary heart disease is a largely preventable condition with a risk of occurrence that increases with age.
“That risk can be reduced by simple lifestyle changes, such as not smoking, drinking alcohol sensibly, exercising regularly and eating a healthy, balanced diet to reduce the risk of obesity – a major contributory factor increasing the risk of diabetes and eventually cardiac disease.”

“We welcome the publication of this consultation, particularly in light of the financial pressures on the health service. We will expect this plan to outline how the Welsh Government will tackle early prevention and ongoing care of heart disease and will actively engage in the consultation, to ensure that people in Wales receive the best prevention support and ongoing cardiac care.”